Shadow of the Jade Cat by Susan Ann Walker

A supernatural killer prowls the streets. Can a troubled guardian prevent a bloodbath? Lord Bastian carries the weight of the city on his shoulders. A master mage charged with keeping the peace in a mecca for those with magical gifts, he's challenged by powerful guild leaders who question his authority. When a prominent but unscrupulous merchant is gutted by a mysterious creature on the eve of a trade fair, the embattled magister scrambles to solve the crime while confronting accusations he himself wanted the victim dead. As more dismembered corpses turn up, Bastian is dismayed to learn the murderer is an agent of vengeance created by a deity that no mage or priest can hope to contain. Stalked by the arcane predator, harried by human assassins, and doubting his own abilities, he desperately seeks aid from an old rival and a devout but untrained young temple novice. Together, can these uneasy allies stop a relentless destroyer made by a goddess, or will a throng of arriving fairgoers become lambs to the slaughter? Shadow of the Jade Cat is the second book in the "Tales from the City of Magic" sword and sorcery series. (It can be read on its own, but you'll know more about the characters' backgrounds if you read book 1, How the Wraith Got His Soul Back, first.) If you're a fan of stories with dark magic, enigmatic gods, and mystical creatures, then Susan Ann Walker's spooky fantasy thriller is for you.

Young Adult • Fantasy • Fantasy/Dark • Fantasy/Sword and Sorcery

Content Warning: Moderate violence; death; abuse of women discussed but not described in detail.